Ground-anchor.



A. T. BALLENGER. GROUND ANCHOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1913.

V E a Patented Mar. 24, 1914 lowing is a full, clear, and comprehensive ARTHUR T. BALLENGEN, or WAYNE COUNTY, INDIANA.

GROUND-ANCHOR.

p Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2d, 191A.

Application mea nay 12,` 1913. serial No. 766,929.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR T. BALLEN GER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Wayne county, in the State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Construction for Ground-Anchors, of'which the folspecification, being such as will enable others to vmake and use the same with absolute exactitude.

The object of my present invention, broadly speaking, is to provide a ground anchor which will be strong and durable in construction, easily and quickly placed in position, positive in action, adapted to oocupy but a minimum amount of space, when placed in position will be entirely out of Jdie way and will be inconspicuous, and which can be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low price.

Another object is, in connection with a ground anchor, a tool for inserting the anchors in position in the ground, said tool being simple in character, adapted to be withdrawn after an anchor has been inserted thereby, and adapted to be employed indefinitely.

Other objects and particular advantages of my invention will be brought out and will be "suggested in the course of the following description, and that which is new l and useful will be correlated in the appended claims.

The preferred manner for carrying out the principles of my invention in a Vpractical manner, and that which in practice I have determined to be the most practical,

is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l shows a section of wire fence,` showing my invention in operative position as employed in connectiontherewith. F 1g. 2 is a face or plan view of the anchor-plate alone and showing the `various features thereof. Fig. 3 shows an anchor-plate with the inserting tool in connection therewith. Fig. I is a vertical section taken through the anchor-plate and lthe body of the inserting tool, also showin the tie-wire, and a portion of the stem o the tool. Fig. 5 is an upper edge view of the anchor-plate,

" therebetween,

showing a portion of the tie-wire in connection therewith. Fig. 6 is a side edge view of the anchorplate, showing a portion of the tie-wire in connection therewith. And Fig. 7 is a cross section taken through the lower portion of the body of the inserting tool, showing the slot therein.

Similar indices denote like parts through out the several views of the one sheet of drawings.

-In order that the construction, the operation, and the advantages of my invention may be fully understood and appreciated, I will now take up` a detailed description thereon, in which I will set forth the invention as comprehensively as I may.

Referring now to the drawings in detail: Letter A denotes an anchor-plate which I prefer to form deltoid or triangular in shape, same being formed from a single piece of sheet metal. Cut into one side of the plate A are two incisions, l and 2, thereby dividing that edge portion into three, substantially equal, tongues 3, 4 and 5. The central tongue 4 is retained parallel with the body of the plate A, while tongues 3 and 5 are bent to one side at an angle and parallel with each other, substantially as shown, The driving point 6 of the plate A is located opposite to the center of tongue il. Formed through the central portion of plate A is a round aperture 7; and in a line with aperture 7 and the point 6, and located is an oblong aperture 8 formed through the plate A.

B denotes the body or central portion of a length o-f wire. In connecting the wire B to the anchor-plate A the lower portion of the wire is first inserted through the aperture 7, from the side of the plate A opposite to that from which the tongues 3 and 5 are bent out, the end portion of the wire is then turned back and inserted through the oblong aperture 8, and it is then bent up toward the body of the wire, thereby forming the hook portion b, on one side, and the loop portion b on the opposite side of plate A.

Letter C denotes the ground.

E and F denote -two posts planted in the ground; and G denotes the several linewires extending along parallel with the surface of the ground, and they arel secured to the posts E and F, in any well known 11121D1161'.

Letter D denotes the body of the inserting tool, which is substantially conicalshape, being round in cross-section, and tapering downward from its central portion. The diameter of the body D is only slightly less than the length of the tongue 4. Formed in the upper end of the body D, and extending down thereinto, is a central cavity (l, being formed in an axial direction and concentric with the bodyD, in which is rigidly secured the lower end of the stem H, which latter may be of any convenient length. Formed across through the lower portion of the body D, central thereof, is a slot 9 whose width is such as to snugly receive the tongue 4 therein, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The lower converging end of the two sides of the body D is formed concave, whereby when Vthe base of the slot 9 is in contact with the edge of the tongue 4 the lower end of the body D will correspond and register with the upper half of the aperture 7, as shown in Fig. 3. Extending up along the sides of the body, from each of the lower portions thereof, is a channel, as the channels d and d, same extending in an axial direction with relation to the body, subst-antially as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Modus operan-(Zi: The operation ofmy invention is very simple-Then employed as in the instance shown, the length of wire B is first connected to the 'plate A as shown. The body D of the tool is then placed in connection with the plate A, as shown in F ig. 4, the wire B being brought up parallel with the stem H and resting in one of the channels d or al. The point 6 of the plate A is then placed on the surface of the ground C, below the lower wire G, the stem H being then approximately perpendicular. The upper end of the stem H should then be hit with a hammer or the like, driving th-e plate A into the ground to the depth desired. The Ystem H, together with the body D, is then pulled upward and withdrawn from the ground, thereby leaving the plate A in the gr'ound, with the wire B attached thereto and extending out above the surface of the ground. AThe protruding portion of the wire may then be grasped .and pulled upward which with a slight movement will cause the plate A to assume a horizontal position, as in Fig. l, this being caused by reason of the angularly disposed tongues 3 and 5 engaging the earth and deiiecting the plate from its vertical position. After the plate A has assumed its horizontal position it Vof course is too large to be withdrawn from the aperture through which it was in- `body of the anchor,

l driving serted, but by reason of the position it will engage undisturbed earth, which will effectually prevent its being withdrawn. After the above the upper end of the wire B may be secured to the lower line-wire G of the fence by forming atwist or tie 10 of the wire around the line-wire, substantially as shown in Fig. lower line-wire of the fence from being raised up at that point. It is apparent that if the fence 'be of woven fabric,`inwhich the line-wires are connected, then the entire section of fence will be the more securely anchored by my device.

A plurality of my anchors may be employed between each two posts of the fence if desired. It is also evident that my inven- 1, thereby preventing the tion may be employed for other purposes "VV from that herein shown and piece of sheet material having its three edges equal in length with two of the converging edges forming a driving point, the edgeopposite to the driving point being relatively horizontal, there being two incisions formed c vertically through the horizontal edge and dividing the upper portion `of the .anchor into three tongues, the two outer tongues being deflected to one side at an angle to the all substantially as shown and described. Y Y i 2. A ground anchor formed from a single piece of sheet metal having its three edges substantially equal in length with each other with two of the converging edges forming a driving point, the edge opposite to the point being relatively horizontal, the upper or horizontal edge of the device being divided into three tongues the two outermost of which are deflected to'onel sidel with relation to the' body of the device, there also being two aperturesv formed through the central portion of the device, said apertures being arranged in alinement with said driving point, all substantially as set forth.

3. A ground anchor comprising the tri angular body having three straight edges, one of the edges being' divided into three parts: a tongue portion parallel with the body and the an angle to thebody, there being two apertures formed through the subscribed my name to this specification in central pclrtionhof the Eody; and a wire eX- the presence of two subscribing witnesses. tending t rouw one o said apertures with its end portionn hooked through the other ARTHUR T' BALLENGER 5 one of said apertures, all substantially as Witnesses:

shown and described. R. W. RANDLE, In testimony whereof I have hereunto R. E. RANDLE.

opie of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissione! of Patente, Washington, D. C. 

